In a heartwarming story of love and conservation, two Amur tigers, Boris and Svetlya, have been reunited in the Russian jungle after living nearly 200 kilometers apart. Rescued as orphans from the Sikhote-Alin mountains in 2012, Boris and Svetlya were raised together in a conservation program with minimal human contact. The goal was to release them back into the wild at 18 months of age, which was successfully done in 2014 in the Pre-Amur region, a historical habitat of Amur tigers. new York Times Informed.
As part of the conservation project, tigers were tracked and isolated for hundreds of kilometers to promote the spread of the population. However, Boris had other plans. Conservationists were intrigued to discover that Boris was displaying unusual movement patterns. Unlike normal tigers, which roam around a specific area, Boris was moving in a remarkably straight line. In an astonishing display of determination, Boris made the incredible 200km journey over almost three years to reunite with Svetlana. Six months later, their love story ended with the birth of a cub.
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If humans can travel miles for love, can tigers do the same?
In the Sikhote-Alin mountains of Russia, two orphaned unrelated Amur tiger cubs, Boris and Svetlaya, were rescued as fragile infants. Growing up together in a semi-wild environment, scientists prepared them for life in the jungle,… pic.twitter.com/RHlSiL6nLe– Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) 15 December 2024
Conservationists hope the love story between Boris and Svetlya may signal a new, successful chapter in efforts to rehabilitate tigers.
Lead author Dale Mikell of the Wildlife Conservation Society said, “The data showed that orphaned cubs, who were raised and released in captivity, were just as good at hunting as wild tigers, taking on the same types of wild prey. They targeted animals and very rarely killed animals.” (WCS).
“This success shows that tigers can be successfully released into the wild when provided with appropriate isolation from humans and the opportunity to learn to hunt,” said Mikel. “But this process requires great care in preparing the cubs for this journey.” More attention is needed.” ,
The Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur tiger, is a majestic and powerful subspecies of tiger that is native to the Russian Far East. Unfortunately, due to various threats such as habitat loss, poaching, and human-tiger conflict, the Siberian tiger is listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
